By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — Pascagoula’s Blake Nettles is the SouthMiss6 Sports “Boys’ Prep Basketball Player of the Year” for the 2025-2026 season.

Each season, the sports staff here at SouthMiss6 Sports, along with a few selected local head coaches, vote on both a female and male “POY” in the “Southern Six” and Nettles in the third straight Panther chosen for the award on the male side.

The award is sponsored annually by David Baria, Attorney-Mediator.

The 6-foot-3 senior standout guard was named “Class 6A Mr. Basketball” in the state on Wednesday. He was also selected to the prestigious pre-season “Dandy Dozen” list this year and was picked to represent his home state in the annual Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Basketball Classic next month.

Nettles is a Jackson State signee, and is a three year starter for veteran Pascagoula head coach Lorenzo Wright’s Panther program. He has helped guide PHS to 36 straight Region 4-6A wins over the past three seasons as well as three consecutive league titles.

He has had a hand in guiding the Panthers to not only a 24-6 record this season, but a total of 72 wins over the past three seasons so far. The Panthers are set to host George County Saturday night in the opening round of the Class 6A South state playoffs, and Nettles is hoping to get PHS back to the overall Class 6A Final Four at “The Big House” in Jackson for the third straight season as well.

“He’s a leader, he quietly shows the guys what it takes to leave a mark in the program,” Wright said Thursday morning, about his star pupil. “His commitment to live in the weight room and in the gym cannot be matched, you can see it in his game.  He’s a winner.”

Nettles is averaging right at 20 points per game along with seven rebounds and four assists this season. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in Region 4-6A as well this year.

Last year, as a junior, he posted averages of 14 points, five boards, four assists and three streals per contest in earning Class 6A First Team All-State honors.

He emerged upon the scene as a sophomore for the Panthers, and helped guide PHS to a school record 28 game win streak in the process.

Nettles follows in the footsteps of his former teammates in Dorian McMillian (2024) and Kelan Rich (last season) as winners of this award.

The Baria Law Firm, the Gulf Coast branch of Cosmich, Simmons and Brown, provides a beacon of trust and reliability in a complex legal landscape. Our firm’s unwavering dedication to you is at the core of everything we do. Choose David Baria of Baria Law as your legal ally, and let us handle the details while you focus on what matters most. Reach out to David at 228-395-8303 or dbaria@barialaw.com and at https://barialaw.com.